Kids

Host FAQ's

When should the competition be held?

Competitions can be scheduled any time from March 1 - early/mid-May. Competitions can be held on a
weekend or weekday - whichever works best for your organization and potential participants. Local hosts
typically have the most participation when the competition is held along with a large league event, such
as Opening Day, Picture day or as part of PE classes, or after-school activities.

Why "mid May?"

Your Local competition should be completed prior to the Sectional competition that you are assigned to in
your area so that your local winners have the opportunity to advance. Some Sectionals take place in late
May or early June, which means you COULD schedule your Local competition later in May if you find out
that your corresponding Sectional is scheduled later. To avoid any conflict with the winners advancing in
the competition, please attempt to run your local event in March, April or in the first week of May.

Do Boys and Girls compete separately?

Yes. Boys and girls will compete and advance separately throughout the competition. Girls will compete
in a softball division and boys will compete in a baseball division.

Can I host both baseball and softball competitions on the same day/time?

Yes. It is very efficient to have baseball and softball competitions occurring at the same time. Girls and
Boys can compete in the same age groups, however are scored and awarded separately. Boys will use a
baseball throughout the competition and girls will use a softball.

I want to host a softball competition, is it also required to host a baseball competition (or vice
versa)?

Your local competition is not required to include both baseball and softball; however we encourage you to
open your competition to both boys and girls in your community that want to compete. It is very simple to
score and award the separate divisions.

Is it required to have a minimum number of participants per age or gender group?

No. It is recommended that a Local competition consist of a minimum of 30 participants, but there is no
minimum required per age or gender group.

How should I set up the competition? Can I use just one field or should I use multiple fields?

You can do either. We recommend that you structure the competition so that participants rotate through
the skills. If you use one field, you can set it up so that hitting takes place on the field, while pitching takes
place down the right or left field line, in a bullpen, or right outside the field (a pitcher's mound is not
required). Running can then take place at the end, as it takes the least amount of time.

If you have a large amount of participants, we recommend that you use multiple fields to be more
efficient. By using multiple fields, you can have different skills being conducted on each field and have the
participants rotate.

What type of facility do I need to host this event?

A baseball/softball field is obviously the ideal location for the competition, but if you don't have a
baseball/softball field available, the competition may still be held in an open field. You can use the
handbook and a tape measure to measure out the distances.

Indoor facilities are fine, but usually aren't able to accommodate the hitting portion of the competition. You
can have pitching and running indoors and move hitting to an outdoor parking lot or field, if one is
available.

What is included in the administrator kit?

Your free local administrator kit will include a handbook (contains all the instructions you need on how to
set up and run a successful competition), registration forms, award certificates, promotional posters, a "strike
zone" banner, participation cards and other information required to host your event.

When will I receive my administrator kit?

If you sign up to host a competition prior to February, you will receive your kit by the end of February.
Otherwise, you will receive your kit within 1-2 weeks of PHR National Headquarters receiving your online
sign-up.

Is it required to know the finalized competition date, time and location for my competition prior to
signing-up to host?

No. If you are unsure as to when exactly your event will take place, you may register now and email that
information to pitchhitrun@mlb.com at a later date. However, it is strongly recommended to submit your
finalized date, time and location as soon as possible. Please understand the number of competitions is
capped this year, therefore we need to receive competition details and results for each kit that is shipped.

Can I use PHR as a fundraiser?

PHR is promoted as a free program, so you cannot charge participants to compete. However, some hosts
choose to have raffles, merchandise/concession sales, carnivals or other fundraising opportunities going
on in conjunction with the competition day.

Can I run this program in my school?

Yes. You may run this program as part of PE classes, a school field day or as an after-school activity.

Can I host multiple Local competitions?

Yes. You may host multiple Local competitions if you have different groups, sites or leagues in your area
to which you can offer the program. Hosting multiple competitions is a great way to allow multiple sets of
winners from your area to advance to the next level of competition. Keep in mind each Local competition
should have a minimum of 30 participants and participants may only compete in one Local competition.

Can I pre-register participants for the competition?

Yes. Once you receive your administrative kit, you may distribute the registration forms provided and
have participants pre-register. If you have signed up and would like to start distributing registration forms
prior to receiving your kit, please email pitchhitrun@mlb.com.

When and where will the Sectional competition take place?

Sectional competitions will take place from mid/late May to early June. Sectional sites will be determined
based on prior experience and where Local competitions break out geographically. You will be notified by
your state coordinator or PHR National Headquarters as to when and where the Sectional will occur. If
you have not received Sectional information from your state coordinator or PHR National
Headquarters by the first week in May, please email pitchhitrun@mlb.com immediately.

Who will notify my Local competition winners with the Sectional information?

It is the Local competition host's responsibility to notify his or her winners of the Sectional competition
information.

How many participants advance in each age group?

The number of participants advancing in each age group will vary. The following competitors will advance
in each age and gender group: All-Around Champion, Pitching Champion, Hitting Champion, and
Running Champion.

Please note that one child may win every category, in which case only that competitor would advance for
that age and gender group. For another example, the Pitching Champion may also be the Running
Champion. If this is the case, only that competitor will advance for both categories. Second place
participants will not advance just because one person wins more than one category.

In addition, you may have ties for the Pitching, Hitting or Running Champion (most common in Pitching) -
in that scenario, everyone who tied for 1st will advance (unless competitors tie for 1st with the minimum
score of 50 points, in which case they would not advance based on that skill).

How long will the competition last?

Research shows that it takes each participant approximately two minutes to complete the competition.
You can cut down on time by offering pre-registration and by offering multiple stations on multiple fields.

How do I promote my Local competition?

Provided in your administrative folder is a Local Competition Press Release. You may fill this out and
distribute it to your local media outlets - newspaper, television, radio, etc. Also provided in your
administrative folder are promotional posters that you can fill out and post around your town as well as a
sample flyer.

Leagues can have their coaches get the word out to their teams. They can also have coaches commit to
bringing their kids to compete in the competition at a certain time. Recreation departments and
community organizations often put notification of the competition on their website or in their newsletters
announcing upcoming events. Another idea is to use your social networking sites to recruit participants
and extra volunteers.

Can I use the PHR logo in my promotional material?

If you would like to use the PHR logo, you must first contact PHR Headquarters at pitchhitrun@mlb.com
to request use. You will have to provide a proof of how you plan to use the logo.